A new study from the University of Glasgow has revealed insights into the bleeding risk of dogs with immune thrombocytopenia.
Researchers have found that, despite dogs with severe thrombocytopenia being at risk of spontaneous bleeding, platelet counts alone may not be enough to predict bleeding.
The study saw researchers assess the risk factors of clinically significant bleeding in 159 dogs with severe thrombocytopenia at a referral hospital. Of this group, 74 dogs developed clinically significant bleeding and 84 had immune thrombocytopenia.
While dogs with lower platelet counts were associated with clinically significant bleeding, platelet count did not prove to be a significant predictor of bleeding for dogs with immune thrombocytopenia.
Researchers discovered that an increasing platelet count could be associated with reduced odds of bleeding. Each increase of 10*109/L in platelet count was associated with a 28 per cent reduction in the odds of clinically significant bleeding.
Meanwhile, an increasing monocyte count was associated with an increased risk of bleeding.
Platelet indices, such as plateletcrit, did not prove to be predictive of clinically significant bleeding. Researchers say this supports evidence that platelet count alone does not give a full picture when assessing bleeding risk in dogs with immune thrombocytopenia.
However, researchers have suggested that inflammation may be a contributory factor in the modulation of haemorrhagic risk. They say that this should be considered when evaluating risk in dogs with immune thrombocytopenia.
Dr George Smith, lead author of the study, said: “Our aim was to help frontline clinicians better predict serious bleeding in dogs with severe thrombocytopenia. Our findings highlight that platelet count alone does not reliably reflect bleeding risk in dogs with immune thrombocytopenia, emphasising the need for better ways to identify patients at greatest risk.”
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